List Books » The Healing Wisdom of Africa: Finding Life Purpose Through Nature, Ritual and Community
Authors: Malidoma Patrice Patrice Some, L. M. Some
ISBN-13: 9780874779912, ISBN-10: 087477991X
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Date Published: September 1999
Edition: Reprint
A fascinating, detailed journey through the traditional healing practices of West Africa by a beloved shaman and scholar.
"Profoundly wise and fascinating . . . "--Alice Walker
"An amazing bridge over the chasm of modern isolation."--Jack Kornfield
Through The Healing Wisdom of Africa, readers can come to understand that the life of indigenous and traditional people is a paradigm for an intimate relationship with the natural world that both surrounds us and is within us. The book is the most complete study of the role ritual plays in the lives of African people--and the role it can play for seekers in the West.
* illustrated with 8 pages of black-and-white photographs
Introduction: Living in Two Worlds | 1 |
PART ONE: HEALING IN THE INDIGENOUS WORLD | |
1. Healing, Ritual, and Community | 21 |
2. The Healing Power of Nature | 37 |
3. Indigenous Technologies | 59 |
PART TWO: RELATIONSHIPS OF HEALING: THE COMMUNITY | |
4. The Value of a Healthy Community | 85 |
5. Mentors and the Life of Youth | 101 |
6. Elders and the Community | 121 |
PART THREE: UNDERSTANDING RITUAL | |
7. The Elements of Ritual | 141 |
8. Dagara Cosmology and Ritual | 163 |
9. Preparing for Ritual | 189 |
PART FOUR: RITUALS OF HEALING | |
10. Fire Rituals | 205 |
11. Water Rituals | 217 |
12. Earth Rituals | 231 |
13. Mineral Rituals | 243 |
14. Nature Rituals | 257 |
PART FIVE: HEALING IN THE WESTERN WORLD | |
15.Initiation: A Response to Challenges of the West | 275 |
16. Maintaining Community Through Ritual | 293 |
Index | 315 |